Ed, Edd, n' Eddy: Life, Love, and Learning
by Linken88
Summary: Sometimes life doesn't go as you plan, sometimes it takes someone you wouldn't expect to help you get past a rough patch and to start feeling happy again.


Marie stretches her arms up over her head as she walks down the hall of her school. It was the first day back after the week-long spring break, and she is officially in final countdown mode for the end of the year.  
"Just three more months girls," Marie says to the two other girls walking with her. "And then we'll be done with this place for good."  
The Kanker Sisters are still amazed that they have made it to their senior year of high school, a feet their mother couldn't.  
"We did Ma proud." Lee, the eldest of the three says. "Finishing school without a record is all she wanted from us."  
"But what are we going to do next?" May, the youngest of the Kankers asks as the three sisters walk into their bathroom.  
The girl's bathroom on the second floor at the North end of the school is the sister's personal hangout, no one goes in when they are there, and the janitorial staff has even given up on the room. Sure they remove the trash at the end of the day, but after a year of trying to paint over the graffiti the sisters constantly put on the wall, they gave up and just let the Kanker markings be.  
The sisters move to stand in front of the three mirrors in the room and examine the way they look. Each of them has grown over the years from the preteens they once were to the young adults they see now in the mirrors.  
Lee fluffs her naturally curly red hair, that still covers her eyes. "Well, Ma said she can get me in on nights at the hospital with housekeeping." Lee is not only the oldest but the tallest and most muscular of them. She isn't a "ripped beefcake" or anything like that, she is just built like their mother, thick muscled.  
"So we need to get jobs?" May asks as she runs an old worn-out brush through her long platinum blond hair. May has let her hair grow out to the point that it hangs just above her waistline. While the Kankers may be close in age, and blood related, they look very different. Case in point is the difference in May and Lee. Where Lee is built tall and thick, May is short and thin. Except for in the pectoral region, she is a size and a half over Lee.  
Marie reaches into her old blue backpack and pulls out her stick of rust red lipstick and applies a layer before saying; "Psh, those are lame ass job ideas." She leans forward in the mirror and adjusts her top, making sure maximum cleavage is visible through the top of her black sleeveless undershirt. Marie being the middle Kanker Sister also put her between Lee and May in how she has grown. She isn't too tall or too thin and is strong but not as muscled as her older sister. "Trophy wifing is the path for me." She then runs her fingers through her blue hair, tossing it around her shoulders but making sure her that her right eye is still concealed behind her bangs. "Speaking of which, there is a boy who hasn't seen me in a week who's probably missing his gal."  
Marie waves at her sisters with one hand and shoulders her backpack with the other as she walks for the exit.

Marie walks down the hall of the school swaying her hips with each step. She knows how attractive she has become, and that combined with her reputation of being one of the top three bullies of the school, makes those who dare look at her go through a personal emotional battle. And she relished in that knowledge.  
But despite all this, Marie has eyes for only one boy, and as she turns a corner she sees the familiar black ski hat, with his black hair sticking out from under it, that said boy always wears. Marie grins wide and picks up her speed, and when she is just a few feet away, she jumps at the boy.  
"Hey there Dream Boat." Marie tackles the boy to the ground, sending all the other students in the area running away from her out of fear.  
"I hope ya weren't too broken up over not seeing me for a whole week." Marie runs her finger up and down the boy's chest. "But I was working all week, but now I'm free to-"  
Marie stops talking, normally the boy under her would be begging her to get off of him by now and stuttering out of fear, but he isn't. In fact, he is just lying on his back looking off to the side with an uncaring look on his face. And now that Marie is looking at him, she sees that there is something very wrong with the boy. He has always been clean shaven, but is supporting stubble that is about four days old. His dress shirt, usually ironed and well kept, is wrinkled and not tucked in. He even isn't wearing a tie, he always has a tie at school.  
"You ok Double D?" Marie asks, razing her eyebrow out of confusion of the boy's change in apprentice.  
Double D, also known as Edd, doesn't look up at her. "My state is none your concern, Marie."  
Edd has never been this harsh to Marie, so it threw her off guard. "Excuse me? What?"  
Edd turns his head so he is looking up at her. " Do whatever it is you want and then leave me be."  
Marie's eyes widen to their maximum. "What the hell, what is wrong with you? That is not how YOU talk to me." She is mad at Edd like she has never been before. Throughout all that Marie has put Edd through , he has never spoken in a negative tone before.  
"How I talk is not something YOU can dictate." Edd looks away from Marie, still lacking any empathy.  
Marie has lost all interest in having any fun with Edd, she pushes herself up off of Edd. "You need to knock this shit off." She starts walking away from Edd, who is still on the ground. "That is not you, and I don't like it." Marie then storms off towards her homeroom classroom, pushing an innocent freshmen into his locker as she passes.

Marie was in a foul mood for the rest of the first half of the day. Edd being so different and passive aggressive is not how Marie sees him. To Marie, Edd is the smart , kind, and intellectual boy that she fully intends to somehow seduce into falling in love with her someday.  
'Something is definitely wrong with Double D.' Marie thinks as she joins the line for school lunch. 'I wonder what happened to him over the break.' 

* * *

The next day Marie is walking down the hall with determination in her step. She has her headphones on, blasting her music, to keep her focused. They are a very big and old pair of headphones, over twenty years old, attached with a thick cord to an equally old tape deck walkman she has on her pink belt, that is holding up her green cargo pants.  
Marie normally avoids taking her walkman and headphones out at school out of fear of them breaking. It is the only mobile tape player she has, and she spent far too much time recording songs off the radio onto her tapes to lose the mobility of music.  
Marie has her destination set, she knows that Edd spends his Tuesday mornings in the school library, and that is where she is heading.

Just as she assumed, she sees Edd sitting at an empty table, looking over his AP Calculus homework. Marie walks around the table and sits in one of the empty chairs.  
Edd heard Marie sit down, but didn't look up from his work.  
"Hey Double D." Marie pulls her headphones down around her neck. "Ya got a minute?" She pushes the stop button on her walkman, stopping the music.  
Edd contemplates what he could or should say to Marie. "Say whatever it is you need to say, but do not distract me from my work."  
Marie had to clench her fists to stop herself from snapping at Edd. "Look, I get that something happened to ya, and I think it could help if ya talked about it. So, care to talk to me?"  
Edd stops looking over his work and looks over at Marie, this request was unlike her, but it was still Marie Kanker, and she is not someone he has ever opened up to. "I have no interest at this time to talk to you about what has occurred to me, Marie."  
Marie knew it wasn't going to be easy, but his choice of words gave her an opening. "Ok, well then I'll just have to hang around ya till you're ready to talk."  
"What?" Edd didn't think he heard Marie right.  
Marie leans back in her chair. "You heard me, I'm going to hang around you till ya want to talk." Marie pulls her headphones back over her ears and starts the music again as she grins. 

* * *

So much to Edd's dismay, and the whole student body's shock, Marie did just as she said, she spent as much time around Edd as she could.  
Every morning Marie would be waiting at the entrance to the school for him, and would ask him; "You wanna talk?". Most of the time Edd wouldn't answer her, and would just walk past her, prompting her to walk next to him down the hall to where ever he was heading. She would also walk with him between classes and to the lunch room. Every time she found him, she would ask the same question, hoping to eventually break him.  
Marie knows what has caused Edd to change like he has, she heard the gossip Monday during lunch, but she wants to hear it from Edd, to have him talk to her about it. Which is why she eats lunch with him, that he has opted to eat away from the rest of the teens that live in the Cul-de-sac with him. Sits with him during their free period in the library, which she would end up working on her own homework or reading a mechanics book she found out of boredom. Marie would also walk with Edd on their way back to their homes after school, but she would have to part with him when the dirt path to the Park n' Flush came up.  
"See ya tomorrow Double D." Marie would say as she walked away from Edd, which he wouldn't respond back to. 

* * *

The sight of Marie spending all her time around Edd has led to rumors and gossip being spread in their school that they are dating, gossip that Marie enjoys, but leads to Lee and May confronting Marie over.  
"Hey Marie." Marie hears as she walks into the Kanker families trailer Thursday afternoon. "Get in here." Lee yells from the kitchen.  
"What do ya want?" Marie asks as she walks into the kitchen to find Lee sitting at the rickety old table eating a sandwich, and May washing dishes in the sink.  
"So May here heard a rumor bout you." Lee says staring Marie down through her bangs.  
"So?" Marie drops into an empty chair. "People talk crap about us all the damn time."  
"Well this isn't like that, what she heard is that you're seeking off and fooling around with that boy of yours."  
Marie almost ran with the rumor, but she caught herself before starting a storm she wouldn't survive. "Don't worry, Double D and I aren't fucking."  
"Then why are you spending your time with him?" May asks turning around from the sink.  
Marie didn't want to tell her sisters why she is hanging around Edd so much. They both have lost their interests in Edd's friends, Eddy and Ed, but Marie kept her flame. "Because I can."  
"Because you can? What shit is that?" Lee demands.  
"Look, I'm not sleeping with Double D, that is all you need to know." Marie stands up from the chair. "What I'm doing is my own thing, and I'm not going to keep doing my own thing." 

* * *

Marie hopes that she is getting to Edd, but in a good way. She wants to get him to open up to her, to want to talk about what is bothering him, which is why she is being nice to him. When he would be in the library before class starts, she would either sit listening to her music, or attempt to do some of her homework, something Edd has never seen Marie do before. Edd couldn't help but sneak looks at Marie as she sat next to him, and bit by bit, he is getting used to her being around her. But that comfort is lost when Edd walked out of his house Friday morning.  
Marie is standing at the end of the paved path in his yard with a faded black zip up hoodie over her equally faded black tank top. Edd has seen Marie in every piece of clothing she has, but when a spring breeze blows by her, tossing her hair ever so slightly, his heart gave a single heavy beat.  
"Hey Double D, ya feel like talking taday?" Marie asks, just like she has done every day.  
Edd looks at Marie once more, and then starts walking. "No." He says as he walks. It is rare for Edd to say anything to Marie, but hearing him say anything to her made her happy.

Like he has for several of the past days, Edd walks into the school library to spend his free time before school, and like she has been, Marie followed him into the library.  
Edd sits down at an empty table in the far corner of the room and removes a notebook and his Government textbook from his bag and goes to work checking his homework. Edd saw Marie sit down next to him and take out her own school work out of the corner of his eye.  
"Hey Double D," Marie says after a few minutes of silence. "If -X+Y=5, and X is 10, does that make Y 15?" She asks not looking up from her math homework.  
"Yes." Edd says unconsciously answering the math problem without even thinking about it.  
"Cool, thanks," Marie says smiling. "So if X is 10, and Y is 15, then that would make… Z -10."  
To Edd, this is all very basic math problems that Marie is working on, but hearing her actually work on her homework instead of stealing other students work amazed him slightly. 

* * *

Later that day as Edd is walking down the hall to the lunchroom, with Marie beside him like she has done for the majority of that week. In the past Edd wouldn't be able to walk in Marie's presence like this, she has bullied and tormented him for years, but with what he has gone through and with her aggressiveness put on hold, he is not afraid of her anymore. But he still knows how dangerous she can be, and is reminded of this when a freshman thought he would be funny.  
The freshman boy is standing at his open locker talking to his own friends when Edd and Marie passed. The boy grins wide and then says; "The Brain and Bully, sitting in a tree, K I S-"  
Before the boy could finish his insult, Marie slams the boy into his locker and shuts the door, trapping him inside of it.  
The hallway grew quiet and everyone watched Marie wipe her hands clean as she smiled at her handy work, except for Edd, he had just kept on walking, not caring about what Marie is doing.  
"Sorry bout that." Marie says running up to Edd to catch up to him.  
Edd looks over at the blue haired girl that is smiling at herself, but doesn't respond back.

"See ya later Double D."Marie says giving Edd a half wave as she walks away from him and down the dirt path leading to her home.  
Edd doesn't respond, like he's done every day, but once Marie is far enough away that she would be out of earshot, he says; "Why are you doing this Marie? Why won't you just let me be miserable?" 

* * *

The following day, Saturday, Edd lies in bed staring up at his ceiling. It is almost ten in the morning, the latest he has ever stayed in bed. He has no interest in getting out of bed for several more hours, and that is only to do the homework he has to do for the weekend.  
 ***Knock knock*  
** "Eddward," Edd hears a knock and his named said through his door before it is opened. Edd's mother sticks her head into his room through the open door. "I have to head into the office for a few hours, and then I'm going to pick up your father from the airport." Edd's mother says, looking around her son's room. Edd's tidying of his room has lacked over the past week, so there is more clutter than Edd's mother would like to see.  
"Ok Mother." Edd says turning to his side.  
"Also, I believe one of your friends is here to see you." Edd's mother adds, remembering another thing she wanted to tell him.  
"Who is it?" Edd asks.  
"I'm not sure, she is someone I haven't met before."  
Curious, Edd sits up in his bed. "What does she look like?"  
Edd's mother thinks for a brief moment. "She has freckles under her eyes and her hair is dyed."  
"Is it blue?"  
"Yes it is, is she a new friend of yours Eddward?"  
Edd knows exactly who it is, Marie has come to his house, no doubt to try and get him to talk to her. "Something like that." He says, not able to call Marie his friend.  
The thought of Edd having a friend wanting to spend time with him made his mother smile, he has been acting sad for far too long for her liking. But Marie is still a girl, and Edd's mother is still a mother. "Well, if you are going to invite her in for a visit while I am out, stay in the living room with the blinds open, please."  
The request confused Edd, but he has no problem agreeing to it. "Ok Mother, have a good day." he says before lying back down and rolling onto his side.  
"You too Eddward, I love you son."  
"I love you too Mother." Edd says as his mother closes his door.

A few hours later, Edd has finally gotten out of bed and taken a shower. The hot water felt relaxing to Edd, he even felt the desire to trim off the whiskers he's grown, making himself look more like the Edd people know.  
When Edd got up from bed to take his shower, he turned on his laptop, a habit he does every morning. And as he showered, his laptop brought up the usual daily information he has it set up to show him on startup. It wasn't anything like the stocks information his father looks at, just the weather forecast and comments a few select individuals important in the science community have made in social media recently. As he changed into some casual clothes, an orange t-shirt and black shorts, he glances at his laptop screen.  
He sees comments on space exploration and green energy advancements, but what catches his eye, is the predicted temperature for the day. The forecast for the day is set to be in the high nineties, far too hot to spend all day outside, and abnormally high for this time of year. After reading this, Edd looks out his bedroom window, and sure enough, Marie is sitting on his porch, waiting for him to come out.  
Edd stares at Marie through the window, trying to figure out what could be done other than the first idea he had. "Curses." He says closing his blinds.

Marie sits with her hands at her side and bouncing her heels on the concrete path and humming. The day has been good, she didn't have to fight with her sisters to let her take off for the day, she found a skirt she thought to be lost, and she met Edd's mother, a rather nice and polite woman. "Well I guess that's where Double D gets it from."  
The door behind her opens and she looks up to see Edd standing in the door. "Are you planning on staying out here all day?" Edd asks, looking down at Marie.  
"Are ya gonna talk to me about what's bugging ya?" Marie asks back.  
"No." Edd responds back.  
"Then I'm gonna sit right here, unless ya go somewhere."  
Edd sighs and curses his deeply ingrained good nature. "I cannot allow you to stay out here with the coming heat wave, so you should either return to your home or..." He sighs again. "Come inside where it will not be so hot."  
Marie grins wide and jumps up from her spot on the ground. "I'd love ta come in, thank ya for asking."  
Edd pinches the brim of his nose, he really hoped Marie would choose to return to her home. So without being rude, something that his parents have vigorously taught him to never do to a houseguest, Edd steps back and opens the door for Marie to enter his home.  
Marie almost skips into the house, sure she has forced her way into Edd's home in the past, but this is the first time that she has ever been invited in by him. "Thank ya, Double D." She says as he closes the door.  
Edd leans against the door, 'Why is this happening to me?' Edd thinks, gathering up the energy to continue. "Please stay in the living room, I need to receive my school work from my room." He says standing up from his leaning position.  
"M'kay." Marie sings as she walks into the room Edd wants her to stay in.

As Edd sat on the couch working on his homework, Marie sat in his father's armchair, kicking her heels again on the chair while watching him with her head resting in her hand, that is propped up on her elbow on the arm of the chair. Watching Edd as he works has become Marie's newest form of entertainment. Even with how dark and negative he has become, he is still the apple of her eye, and he looks even more attractive to her with his facial hair shaved off.

"Hey Double D, could I have something ta drink?" Marie asks after an hour of watching him work.  
Edd looks up from his notebook, he too was feeling a bit parched. He sets his pen down and gets up from the couch without a word.  
"Thank ya." Marie says as he walks out of the room.

Edd takes two glasses from the cupboard and fills them from the tap on the sink with water. As the water flows into the cups, Edd looks at his reflection in the window behind the sink, he sees the same seventeen-year-old boy he knows, but he also sees the bags under his eyes and the dead look upon his face. He is still Eddward Vincent, but not the same Eddward he wanted to be, and he doesn't like it.

Edd sets the glasses down on the coffee table he was working on and sits down. Marie has moved from the armchair to the couch while Edd was getting them the glasses of water.  
"Thanks." Marie picks up the glass and takes a drink.  
Edd takes a quick drink from his glass before going back to his school work. But he stops after a few minutes and sets his pen back down and asks; "Why are you doing this?"  
"Doing what?" Marie asks taking another drink.  
Edd turns to face Marie. "Spending all this time around me, and wanting me to talk to you."  
"Oh." Marie sits up and sets her glass down on the table. "Because I know something is messing with ya hardcore like, and when the shit gets heavy it helps to talk to someone."  
"And why should I talk to you of all people about what is bothering me? The girl that has spent years making my life miserable." Edd asks very sternly.  
Marie looks away from Edd, and sits on her hands, she is about to dive deep into the secrets she keeps. "Ok, so I have to tell ya something, something bout me, and I need ya to keep it quiet. Not another soul will hear about this."  
Edd found the request rather odd, but he would never share a secret given to him, even one from Marie. "I won't tell anyone what you tell me."  
Marie takes a deep breath and slowly lets it out. " Ok, so what I really wanted to do as a kid was to have kids of my own when I grew up."  
"You wanted to be a mother?" Edd asks, surprised by Marie's childhood dream.  
"Yeah, but when I was fourteen, something happened to me, and my mom had to take me to the hospital."  
"What happened to you?"  
"I don't really remember, I didn't pay too much attention to ta doctor medical speak. But I found out, that I was born sterile…" Talking about this makes Marie feel sad, and pain forms in her heart.  
Edd's eyes grow slightly wide. "Sterile? As in you can't have your own children?"  
Marie feels a tear forming in her eye, this topic still brings up emotions that are hard for her to control. "Yeah." She wipes the tear out of her eye. "No babies for me." She gives Edd a fake smile.  
"I'm sorry to hear that Marie, it must have been hard to cope with that." This is the first time Edd has felt genuine sympathy for Marie.  
"It was hard, but my mom had me talk ta a therapist about it, and that helped." Marie coughs to clear her throat. "So that's why I want ya ta talk to me, I know what it's like ta have your life plans fuck up. And I know that ya don't want to hear a stupid speech about when one door closes another one opens."  
"What do you know about what happened to me?" Edd is rather impressed by how mature Marie is being about this, he only knows her to be childish and selfish.  
Marie thinks for a moment, choosing her words as best as she could. "I know that you desperately wanted to go to MIT for college, that you put everything into your application, and that they didn't take you." Marie tries her best to sound as sympathetic as she could for this next part. "And, that you only applied to MIT for college, so you're not going to be able to go to college this fall." Hearing herself say this even hurt Marie, she knows Edd, and how much he loves engineering.  
"My application was perfect! There was nothing more I could have done to make it any better!" Edd's anger over his failure to get into his dream school is very quick to ignite. "I did everything I was supposed to, and now my future is over!" Edd falls back into the couch, covering his eyes with his hands.  
Marie knows his pain, she has lived it herself. Carefully, as to not scare him, she reaches over and pulls his hands away from his face. "Your future isn't over if ya don't let it be Double D." Marie continues to hold his hands with hers as she talks. "If ya let this defeat you, then you are not as smart as I thought you are."  
Edd looks at Marie, her smile is warm, there is compassion in her eyes, well the one that he can see, and her hands are soft. "What did you do then, when you found out you were unable to bear children? That you could not achieve your life goal?"  
Marie gives Edd's hands a gentle squeeze. "I didn't give up, I just had ta change it up a bit."  
"What do you mean?" Edd asks, not taking his eyes off Marie's.  
"I still want ta have kids, someday, I just figure me and my husband would adopt. When were ready and all." Marie couldn't help but let a sly grin cross her face when she mentioned having a husband in the future. "And ya gotta find stuff ta keep making ya happy."  
Edd feels embarrassment as he talks with Marie about this, not to mention that she is still holding his hands. "What would you do then, if you were in my situation?" He asks, curious what Marie would do if she was him.  
"Hum, let's see…" Marie thinks. "Well, obviously you should spend time working on making your application even more perfect for next year. And for the rest of the three hundred and so days that ya have until you can apply again, ya spend your time working to earn some cash, and have fun goofing off."  
The first and second part of what Marie suggested he do were logical and made sense, but he is not sure how he would "have fun goofing off" for the better part of a year. "I'm not much of a fun having person Marie, well not what you find to be fun anyway."  
An idea comes to Marie. "You already know how to have fun, ya just need someone to have fun with."  
"I do?" Edd finally realized that Marie is still holding his hands and pulls them out of hers.  
Marie smiles, hiding the small sadness of Edd taking his hands away. "You do, Double D. This sad, angry, and broken state you've been in isn't you. The boy I know loves to talk about anything science to anyone that would listen and would spend a whole weekend in his garage building his crazy inventions. That is how you have fun"  
"So I should lock myself up in my garage and just tinker?" Edd asks.  
Marie shakes her head, tossing her hair around. "Nope, that will make you content, ya need something that takes your mind off of everything."  
Edd raises his eyebrow, he is confused and intrigued, Marie has gotten his curiosity going again. "Such as?"  
Marie grins wide. "I won't tell ya, I'll show ya." She swipes her hair back over her shoulder  
"Show me?" Edd asks, watching Marie's blue hair catch the light.  
Marie jumps up from the couch. "Tomorrow." Marie's mind starts racing. "I'll come by tomorrow and show you." Marie starts walking for the doorway.  
"Um, what are you doing Marie?" Edd asks standing up from the couch.  
Marie turns around. "I'm gonna head home." Marie points over her shoulder with her thumb. "I got planning to do and you're going to finish your work."  
"Planning? I don't think I understand, I think you are leaving something out."  
Marie was getting ahead of herself, she is thinking faster than she normally does. "Tomorrow. I'm going to take you into the city and we'll have a bunch of fun all day."  
Edd crosses his arms, Marie is acting as if their history of bully and target of bullying doesn't exist. "What would make you think I would head into the city with you Marie? So you could lure me into some insane trap?"  
Having spent all this time around Edd has made the years of tormentation slip Marie's mind. "Ok, how about this. IF you go into the city with me tomorrow, not only will I stop following you around, but I swear that I will be on my best behavior. AND, if you don't have fun, I'll disappear from your life." This is a big chip Marie is bargaining with, but it's is going to take something big to get Edd to agree.  
Marie's confidence in her plan was not too surprising to Edd, Marie is always confident in everything she does, it would be something that Edd would admire if he didn't have years of fear of the girl built up.  
"Hmm…" Edd thinks, he has no plans for the following day, and he doesn't want this misery inside of him anymore. "Ok, Marie." Edd decides that there isn't much that Marie could do to him. "I will give you a chance at this, so long as there is are no tricks."  
"No tricks." Marie grins, it is taking all of her control to keep her excitement in check. "I promise."  
"Then, I guess I will see you tomorrow." Edd sits back down on the couch, needing to get back to his homework.  
"Bye bye Double D." Marie waves at Edd with a wide smile on her face and then walks out of the room and out of the house.  
At the sound of the door closing, Edd shakes his head. "I really hope this does not end horribly."

For the rest of the afternoon, Edd was unable to get the thought of Marie and him going into the city together out of his head.  
"What could she possibly want to do I wonder?" He says to himself as he washes the glasses Marie and him used and the plate he had his lunch on in the sink. He picks up the glass Marie drank from out of the soapy water and sees the lipstick mark she left on it. She has worn the same rust red lipstick for as long as Edd has known her, and he has lost count of the number of lipstick marks Marie has left on him over the years, but for some reason, he found this rust red smudge more interesting than all the ones he's clean off himself over the years.  
Edd rubs the lipstick with his thumb, and feels his heart gave a single heavy beat. He shakes his head and resubmerges the glass in the water and quickly wipes away the lipstick with the sponge he was using to clean the dishes with. Edd closes his eyes and focuses his mind on his task, but if he had just looked in the window in front of him, he would have seen that his cheeks have a slight red hue to them. 

* * *

Come Sunday morning, Edd was feeling a bit unsure about going into the city with Marie. He is venturing into unknown territory this day. But he has already agreed to this outing, and Edd is not one to back away from a promise. So with his cell phone in the pocket of his jeans, and a dress shirt on, he felt an odd need to be somewhat dressed up for the day, Edd waits for Marie to show up at his house.  
Just after ten, there is a knock at the front door and Edd moves to open it. Outside the door was a sight that Edd is unable to recall ever seeing before. It was Marie like he thought it to be when walking to the door, but she doesn't look like what he thinks of her.  
Marie spent almost an hour that morning brushing her hair, making it shine in the late morning sun. She has her traditional rust red lipstick on, but also blue mascara on her eyes, drawing attention to her blue eyes. Her makeup alone was enough to show how attractive she is, but that was only heightened by the black long sleeve shirt, with a red t-shirt over that, and the black and red plaid skirt she has on. She also has a small black purse hanging off her shoulder, that Edd is sure he's seen Nazz with in the past.  
"Hey ya Double D, ready ta head out?" Marie asks when the door opened.  
This potentially being the first time Edd thought of Marie looking pretty, he was at a temporary loss of words. "Yes." He says once he found his words again. "I just need to lock the door first, Mother and Father have already left for the day."  
Edd turns back around from locking the door, and sees Marie smiling wide. "I am a little afraid to ask why you are smiling. You tend not to smile unless you are planning something."  
Marie rocks on her heels as she talks. "Well, I am planning something, but nothing that you need to worry about."  
Edd starts walking down the path to her. "The past six years have taught me to always be wary of you planning anything Marie."  
"Well today is different." She stops rocking. "No tricks, scheme, or tomfoolery. Scouts honor."  
Edd doesn't believe that Marie is in any form of a scouting troop. "I will hold you to that, and the promise you made yesterday."

As Marie and Edd ride the city bus from the suburbs into the city, Edd's parents have yet to let Edd get a car of his own and Marie doesn't even have a driving license of her own, they sit in silence. Edd sits by a window watching cars pass, mentally pointing out the fuel efficiency of each car he recognizes.  
 ***Thump-thump*  
** The sound of rubber hitting plastic distracts Edd from the cars outside the window. Edd looks over at the source of the sound, and sure enough, Marie is kicking her heels against the plastic wall under their seat.  
Edd looks up from Marie's feet to her face, she has a grin on as she looks out the front window of the bus. He pinches his chin as the gears in his head spins.  
"You do that when you are in a good mood, don't you?" Edd asks, he has a theory about this habit he has noticed she does.  
"Hmm?" Marie was daydreaming, so she didn't catch all he said.  
Edd points down at her feet. "Kicking your heels."  
Marie looks down at her feet. "I guess I do. We have those funny ticks, like when you pinch your chin when you're deep thinking." She looks back up and gives Edd a smile.  
Edd knows that he pinches his chin when he thinks, it's a habit he's done for years, but he never knew that Marie knew this about him. And Marie having found that out about him, actually impressed Edd a little bit.

Edd hasn't been into the heart of Peach Creek much as he lived in the suburbs of the city, School trips to educational locations and a field trip to watch a baseball game that he couldn't get out of is all Edd has ever done in the city. So when Marie led him over to a roller skate rink, he was a little shocked that the city has one.  
"How did you know about this place?" Edd asks as he looks up at the flashing neon sign.  
"My mom was a derby gal years ago," Marie says she pulls open the glass door. "Until she blew out her knee years ago."  
"Oh my," Edd says as he follows Marie into the building. "I am sorry to hear that."  
"It's cool." Marie doesn't have to look around, she knows exactly where to go. "Mom was getting too old for the game anyway. But The Cracking Kanker went out on a perfect season, so Mom left her mark." Marie walks towards a counter against a wall.  
"The Cracking Kanker?" Edd asks as he again follows Marie. Edd has no idea why he is going along with this, did Marie being nice to him for just a week really break his fear of her? Or was it just Edd growing into an adult that is keeping him from running in fear? It could also be the depressing mind state he fell into when he was denied entry into MIT.  
"That was mom's derby name. Me and my sisters spent every Saturday night here when Mom played." They reach the counter and Marie is recognized by the woman running the booth.  
"Well well, Marie Kanker." The woman says leaning on her crossed arms. "Haven't seen you in a long time."  
"Hi ya Tammy," Marie says, smiling at the woman. "How's the season been?"  
"It could be better if your mom was still playing."  
"Mom would love to still be rolling, but her knee says no."  
Tammy looks past Marie and sees Edd standing a few feet away looking around the rink. "So who's the boy?" She asks looking back at Marie.  
Marie looks back at Edd and then back to Tammy. "A friend from school."  
"A friend from school?" Tammy raises an eyebrow at Marie. "Like boyfriend?"  
Edd was taken back by the statement and felt embarrassment as his cheeks turn red. Marie was also a little shocked by the statement, but is quick to recover and respond.  
"He wishes," Marie says with a quick laugh. "Na, he's just been feeling kinda down in the dumps lately. So I'm taking out for a day on the town for some fun."  
Tammy doesn't fully believe Marie, the woman knows Marie and knows that Marie is very antisocial with kids her age. "Uh huh… So did you need some skates then? Or are you just here for the arcade?"  
Marie reaches into her purse and pulls out a slip of paper and a few bills. "We're here to skate. I got a buy one get one coupon."  
Tammy takes the coupon from Marie, but not her money. "Your money's not good here Marie, you Kanker's are family. Save it to buy your _friend_ , some of our famous nachos."  
Marie smiles at Tammy as she puts her money away. "Thanks Tammy, you're the best."

"I should tell you," Edd says as he stands up from the bench he was sitting on as he put the skates on. "I was never very good at this."  
Marie stands from a different bench. "Roller skating is easy." She shakes her feet to make sure the skates are on tight. "Ya just gotta take it slow."

"I told you that I am not very good at this." Edd has just fallen on his butt as he tried skating for the third time. He is trying to roll around on the roller skates, but he can't keep his footing and is constantly falling.  
Marie skates over to him, she's been staying relatively close to Edd, but she can't help but get a little carried away and speed off from him. "you're moving your feet too fast." Marie grabs Edd from under the arm to help him up. "Just watch me and do as I do" She adds once Edd is back on his feet.  
Carefully Edd makes his way over to the railing on the outside of the oval rink, avoiding the other skaters, and holds onto the short wall to keep his balance.  
"Ok, so watch my feet, it's all about footing." Marie points down at her feet before she skates off from Edd.  
Edd watches as Marie pushes herself with one foot and keeps the other straight and then rotates her footing. Marie quickly picks up speed as she moves around the rink, showing her skill on roller skates. She quickly dodges and weaves around the other people that are skating as she skates around. Marie sees Edd is still watching her as she passes him, and she feels a little bolder from this fact. So after passing another couple skating together, Marie spins around and starts skating backward. This is a skill Marie hasn't practiced in a while, so she doesn't skate backward for very long and she stops by Edd on her second pass.  
"You really do have skill with roller skates Marie." Edd was unable to take his eyes off Marie as she skated around, there was a grace to her as she moved around that Edd found enchanting.  
"Thanks." Marie gives Edd a half bow. "Ya up for trying again?"  
Edd lets go of the short wall and tries to skate, but slips and start to fall. Marie grabs Edd before he hits the ground. "Ok, I think you should hold my hand, for support." She says pulling him back up to his feet.  
Edd looks at her hand, the idea of holding her hand was something that still scared Edd. But Marie doesn't give Edd the chance to decide if he was going to take her hand or not, she takes his hand with hers and pulls him back out into the crowd of other skaters.  
Marie takes it slow as she leads Edd around the rink. "Just like you're doing, left foot then right." She says watching Edd's footing. "Ok, let's go a little faster."  
Edd is once again shocked by what he is doing. He is venturing out of his comfort zone and breaking social norms about himself as he holds Marie Kanker's hand as they skate together. And what is more amazing, is the smile that forms on his face as the two skate, Edd is starting to have legitimate fun now that he isn't falling constantly.  
The two skate hand in hand, not passing any of the other skaters, and slowly, Marie moves her hand from cupping Edd's, to lacing her fingers with his. She is sure that Edd would react to the change, but all that happened was Marie felt his hand get sweaty, causing her smile to grow wider. Edd did feel the hand holding change, but for some reason he didn't want to change back, all that happened was that his heart gives a single heavy beat, something he is now starting to notice is happening around Marie,

"Ya wanna get some of those nachos Double D?" Marie asks as the music being played stops. The mix CD the roller rink was playing over its speakers has reached its end and the person in charge is putting in a new one, giving the skaters a chance to stop if they wanted.  
Edd takes his hand away from Marie's as they stop skating. "I could go for something to eat, but I feel as if nachos would not be the most optimal choice for lunch Marie."  
Marie was feeling hungry for more than a snack. "Yeah, real food sounds better, let's boogie then, I know a place." Marie quickly skates off to the exit of the rink before Edd could see the red in her cheeks, this day is going better than she could ever have hoped for, and they have only done one thing on her list of fun stuff to do.

After returning the skates to Tammy, and Marie promising that she will get her mother to visit the rink again soon, the two teens are walking down the sidewalks of Peach Creek once again.  
"So if ya don't mind me asking, what was your goal for going to MIT?" Marie asks, hoping to start up a conversation.  
At the mention of his dream school, Edd once again feels his anger rise, but he takes a deep breath to control it. "I wanted to work on a clean energy replacement for your typical gasoline fuel for cars."  
"Like electric?" Marie asks.  
"No, I theorized in my application that we could develop an easily renewable combustible fuel to replace fossil fuels without much alterations to existing automobiles."  
"Isn't there something like that already with corn?"  
"Yes, but I believe the secret is in algae." Talking about his project warmed Edd, he loves science, and loves talking about it more. He's driven Eddy and Ed into near comatose states on multiple occasions when he got going.  
"Algae? As in that green stuff that grows in ponds?" Marie is getting interested in his idea. Marie likes cars and has been becoming more interested in their workings.  
"Yes, it is just a theory, but something I have researched." 

* * *

"Salad Bar?" Edd asks as he looks up at the sign of the building Marie has led him to.  
Marie smiles as she reaches for the door. "Yep, I think you'll love this place." She pulls the door open and holds it for Edd.  
Inside of the building, it became apparent that it was a restaurant. But it was a restaurant unlike Edd has never seen. Everything is finished hardwood, the lighting is dim, and the two men running the shop both have wispy beards.  
"Welcome to Salad Bar." one of the men says. Spotting Edd and Marie.  
"Hello." Edd says, returning the greeting. Edd looks up at the menu and sees right away where the name come from. Everything on the menu is a salad of some kind or another. "This place looks interesting." He adds looking over at Marie.  
She nods. "I had a feeling you'd like this place, salads are your favorite right?" Marie asks also looking up at the menu.  
Marie is correct in the fact that Edd enjoys salads, but he never knew that she knew this about him. It is starting to become apparent to Edd that Marie knows more about him that he knows of her, and he feels that he should know more about Marie Kanker than the very basic facts he already knows.  
"Ooo, there is a jalapeno feta one, I'm getting that one." Marie says once she spotted a salad she likes.  
"You like spicy food?" Edd asks, searching the menu for something that will catch his eye.  
"Kinda." Marie opens her purse and starts counting her money.  
Edd sees her counting the few bills she has in her hand and acts without fully thinking. "I'll have the chicken avocado, and she'll have the jalapeno feta salads please." He says as he pulls his wallet out of his pocket.  
One of the men goes to work picking the ingredients for the salads out of a buffet table of metal boxes and the other moves to push buttons on the register.  
Marie watches Edd pull bills out of his wallet and hand them to the man running the register. "Thank you Double D." She says once he turns around to her.  
Edd slips his wallet back into his back pocket. "You are welcome Marie. You covered the skating, so it would is only fair that I cover our lunch."  
Edd's simple words struck home for Marie, she feels her cheek heat up and needs to calm down. "I need to use the bathroom." She doesn't wait for a response from Edd, she just quickly walks away to the hallway with the restroom sign on the wall.

Marie falls against the wall of the women's restroom, letting the door swing close beside her. "God damn Double D." She says pulling at the neck hole of her shirts, trying to cool herself off. "Getting me all hot and bothered just from buying me lunch."

Edd just assumed Marie needed to use the facilities of the restroom, so he thought nothing of her taking off for them as he waited for the salads to be made.  
"Here ya go sir, chicken avocado for you, and the jalapeno feta for your girlfriend." the man making the salads says, holds trays with the salads on them.  
Edd takes the trays. "Thank you, but she is not my girlfriend." He says correcting the man on his situation with Marie.  
"Ahh." The man grins. "Well then, best of luck mate." He gives Edd a wink and then moves to work on another order.  
Edd is really confused by the wink. 'Why did he wink at me?' He thinks as he walks over to an empty table.

By the time Marie came back from the restroom, Edd has already gotten them forks, napkins, and glasses of water, the restaurant doesn't offer anything else to drink. While in the restroom Marie took her black long sleeve shirt off in hopes of cooling off.  
"I hope this table is adequate Marie." Edd says as Marie sits down across from him, balling up her shirt.  
Marie humors Edd and looks around at the table. "Well the lighting could be better, but the painting of the sixty-nine Mustang makes up for that." Marie points at the painting hanging above their table on the wall.  
Edd looks up at the red car riding down a country road. "It is a rather impressive looking machine, even with its low fuel efficiency."  
"Oh no." Marie points at Edd with her fork. "There is nothing wrong with that beauty of a car."  
Edd picks up his napkin. "A favorite of yours I take it?" He asks laying his napkin down on his lap.  
Marie stabs into her salad. "It is. I'd love to get my hands in ta one." She says before taking her first bite of her lunch. She doesn't normally have salads in her diet, so the leafy textures were a bit off-putting.  
Edd picks up his own fork. "Your hands into it?" He takes a bite of his salad and likes it right away.  
Marie almost started talking with her mouth full of food, but stops herself and swallows what she was chewing before talking. "Yeah, like working on one or something."  
"You are interested in car mechanics?" Edd's curiosity is growing.  
Marie shrugs. "I guess, I just always thought engines were cool."  
Wanting to learn more about Marie, Edd asks a question that was so simple at the time, but will be the first stone in a long bridge of a new life. "What do you think of my college application idea?"  
"The replacement for gas? It sounds cool, but not all cars are the same. Gas is meant to be basic so it works with all of them."  
"True, but I was hoping to devise a simple way to modify existing automobiles to run on my new fuel."  
"But fuel injectors are the most delicate part of the engine, messing with them wouldn't be easy."  
"I understand that, but…" Edd and Marie end up talking about this topic for over an hour as they ate their lunch. Discussing the pros and cons of Edd's idea, creating a bond between the two of them. Marie has been the first person, say for his AP Science teacher, that Edd was able to talk to about his project and understand it. Eddy and Ed were not interested and not smart enough to understand what Edd wanted to do. Talking to Marie has done some real good for Edd, he felt better and his constant anger waned. 

* * *

"So, what did you have planned next?" Edd asks as he adds Marie and his tray to the stack of them by the trash can.  
Marie tries to stuff her shirt into her purse. "What makes you think I have a plan at all?" She asks giving up on fitting the garment into the small purse.  
"Because you are a calculating and scheming person." Edd pulls open the door they entered the restaurant through.  
Marie lets out a quick laugh. "Well, you're not wrong." She walks through the door being held open by Edd. "But come with me, and you'll see."

Once again Marie leads Edd down the streets of Peach Creek without telling him where they are going. And also once again Edd is following her without objecting. As they walk Edd looks around at the buildings, each one is different in their own way, letting Edd getting lost in their design.  
Suddenly, the rows of building are gone, replaced with trees. "We're here." Marie says stopping at the grass line.  
Edd stop next to her. "A park?" He asks looking around.  
"Not just any park." Marie starts walking again onto the grass. "It's a waterfall park."  
"Waterfall?" Edd asks confused by what Marie called the patch of grass and trees. But he gets his answer from the sound of falling water. Past a line of trees Edd sees that there is a small man-made waterfall connecting two small ponds.  
Marie walks over to the hill next to the waterfall and drops down onto the grass, making sure she is not sitting on her skirt or her long sleeve shirt, that she tied around her waist. "Take a seat." She says patting the ground next to her.  
Carefully Edd sits down on the grass next to her. "Ok, so what are we doing here?" He asks looking from Marie to the waterfall.  
Marie grins. "This." She says before pushing Edd down onto his back.  
Edd immediately becomes worried that Marie is going to attack him like she has in the past, causing him to go stiff out of fear.  
But Marie doesn't attack him, all she does is pull his arm out and lays back herself, using his arm as a pillow. She made sure that she wasn't resting on Edd's arm in a way that would make him uncomfortable. "Sometimes ya just gotta kick back and enjoy the sound of peace." She says closing her eyes.  
"You could have just told me to lay back." Edd says once his fear subsides.  
Marie squirms around, getting closer to Edd and more comfortable. "But this was more fun."  
"For you. You could have given me a heart attack." Edd knows he is exaggerating, but the day with Marie has relaxed Edd. Her plan of him having fun with her in the city is working, and then some.  
Marie only gives a half laugh in response before taking a deep relaxing breath.

Laying next to the waterfall was very relaxing for Edd. every worry Edd had just melted away to the sound of falling water. He even didn't mind when Marie picked up the hand of the arm she is using as a pillow.  
Marie knows the feel of the skin on Edd's hand, having pinned him to the ground by them numerous of times in the past, but she's never looked at them. His fingernails are perfectly cut, unlike hers that she bites. The lines in his palm are all long, she wishes she knew that they meant. And their fingers are not that different in length.  
'Ya got some handsome hands Double D.' Marie thinks as she admires Edd's hand.

Edd started to feel his eyelids grow heavy, lying by the waterfall and listening to the sound of falling water was drifting him off to sleep. But his drowsiness is washed away when Marie rolls over to face him, revealing that she has already fallen asleep. Edd opened his eyes when he felt Marie roll, and is looking at the sleeping girl.  
Marie looks so at peace to Edd as she sleeps. He sees her face all the time, but this time is different, again she has an enchanting look about her. Marie's blue bangs are hanging down, covering more of her left eye than the right. Her blue mascara draws him to her closed eyes. And her rust red lipstick shows how full her lips are.  
'You really are not the same girl you were when we met.' Edd thinks as his heart gives a heavy beat. But this time, it isn't just a single beat, it keeps beating heavy.  
Edd rolls onto his side, getting closer to Marie, and reaches over to her as his heart beats faster. Slowly he brushes her hair back in place and then caresses her cheek. Her skin is really soft to the touch, but as his hand runs over Marie's skin, his touch woke her up.  
Marie opens her eyes and looks at Edd. She smiles at him as their eyes meet. At first Marie thought she was in a dream, Edd being this close to her on his own, and touching her in a caring manner, it was a dream come true to Marie. But it wasn't a dream, it was reality, and she doesn't want the moment to end.  
"Hi." Marie says, breaking the silence between them.  
But she didn't just break the silence between them, Marie talking snapped Edd out of the moment. He realizes what he is doing and takes his hand off of her cheek. "It is getting late, we should probably head back to the transit station." He rolls back over onto his back.  
Marie rolls over onto her back and lets out a sigh. 'Should have just stayed quiet.' She thinks sitting up.  
Edd quickly stands up from the grass, wipes his pants clean of any grass, and then turns to Marie. She is still sitting on the ground, obviously not wanting to get up. Being the gentleman that he is, Edd offers a hand to Marie to help her up.  
Marie looks at Edd's hand and smiles as she takes it. "Thanks." She says pulling herself up from the grass. Marie wipes the grass from her own clothing, putting the look Edd had on his face when she opened her eyes to memory. The look Edd had on his face was one she's never seen. It was a look of desire with a hint of passion, that Marie knows meant that there was a part of Edd that wanted her as more than they are now. 

* * *

For the whole walk to the bus station and the ride back to the suburbs, Edd and Marie are quiet. Despite the disappointment in the park, it was a fun day for Marie. She wanted to have fun with Edd in the city, and everything from skating, to eating lunch, to lying by the waterfall was fun in Marie's eyes, she only hopes that Edd enjoyed it as well.  
"Well, I guess this is where we split."Marie says once the two teens reach the path to the trailer park.  
"I guess it is." Edd rubs the back of his neck.  
"I had fun taday Double D." Marie smiles up at Edd.|  
Edd looks back down at Marie. Now that he's had time to think over the events of the day, Edd has come to the conclusion that he enjoyed the day in the city with Marie. "I as well had fun Marie, thank you for today." He says smiling at her.  
Marie smiles wider. "Ya know, I have one more thing ta try and make you happy."  
"Oh?" Edd asks, really curious as to what could be done on the side of the street.  
Marie rocks on her knees. "Yeah, ya just gotta close your eyes."  
Edd raises his eyebrow. "Close my eyes?"  
"Yeah." Marie nods.  
"Why?"  
"Do ya trust me?"  
Edd thinks, before this day he would say no, but after spending all day with her, and wanting to get out of the depressive state he's been in, Edd does trust her. He closes his eyes and prepares for whatever Marie has in store for him.  
Marie grins wide and reaches up to Edd's black ski hat. "No peeking." She says pulling the hat down over Edd's eyes. Edd couldn't help it, he laughs as the black cloth comes down over his eyes.  
Marie takes a half step back from Edd. "Ok, so don't open your eyes until I say so, no matter what."  
"I won't."  
Marie takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. Once she is ready Marie steps back up to Edd, places her hands on his shoulders, pulls herself up, and gently connects her lips to his in the gentlest kiss she has ever given him.  
Edd feels his heart both drop and beat faster simultaneously, causing his brain to stop working, leaving only instinct.  
As Marie touches her lips to Edd's, she worries that he is going to react in a negative way. But he doesn't, he just stands there. Not wanting to risk it, Marie ends the kiss before Edd could do anything. She quietly steps away from Edd, turns and walks away from Edd. "Thank you Double D." Marie whispers to herself as she walks down the dirt path to the Park n' Flush, leaving Edd standing there with his hat pulled down over his eyes and rust red lipstick on his lips. 

* * *

The following morning Edd is walking down the sidewalk leading up to the front door of his high school. He spent all of the previous night thinking, after having stood where Marie left him for over three minutes dumbfounded, he has come to a conclusion. He knows what he wants to do, he just has to find one person. Edd walks through the front door and starts scanning the students, looking for blue hair. Edd turns a corner and sees her, Marie is leaning against the lockers with her big headphones on and her eyes closed.  
Edd walks right up to Marie, ignoring all the looks he is getting from the other students. "Hello Marie."  
Marie didn't hear Edd, but she felt someone walk up to her, so she opens her eyes and says; "Go away- Oh, hey Double D."  
"Are you busy?" Edd asks, feeling a little nervous.  
Marie pulls her headphones down. "No, why?" Marie didn't think Edd would seek her out after she left him the night before.  
Edd scratches the back of his neck. "I was hoping you'd care to join me in the library before class starts."  
Marie stops her tape deck. "What for?"  
"I was hoping that we could talk, and the library is far more private that the hallway." Edd says pointing off in the direction of the school library.  
Marie smiles. "Sure." She doesn't wait for Edd, she starts walking off in the direction of the library.

"So, what did ya wanna talk about?" Marie asks, dropping down into a chair at the table Edd and her have sat at when they were in the library the previous week.  
Edd sits down next to her. "I wanted to talk to you about yesterday."  
Marie feels her heart pick up speed. "Oh yeah?"  
Edd takes a deep breath. "So I spent the night thinking, and while yesterday made me feel better, I don't feel like I did prior to being rejected from MIT." Edd doesn't feel his anger rise from mentioning his rejection from his dream school. "But I feel like I am on the path to being back to normal."  
"I never intended to heal ya of that pain, only help make you feel better." Marie starts fiddling with her hands, she is surprisingly nervous.  
Edd sees her fidgeting and reaches over and places his hand on top of hers. "But, that wasn't the only thing I wanted to talk about."  
Marie looks at Edd's hand on top of hers, she has as feeling that she knows what else he wants to talk about. "What else did ya want ta talk about?" She asks getting excited.  
Edd looks Marie in the eyes, focused on what he wants to say. "I can't explain why, but after yesterday in the city, I feel as if things are different between us Marie."  
Marie is getting more and more excited. "Different how?"  
Edd picks up one of Marie's hands with his and laces their fingers together. "Different in that I feel something for you Marie, maybe not as deep-"  
Edd is cut off by Marie jumping at him, knocking them both to the ground. Marie is hugging Edd, and after the initial shock Edd hugs her back. Marie has wanted to hear this come from Edd from the day she first met him years ago.  
After gaining some composure, Marie pushes herself up enough so she and Edd could see each other. "Sorry, guess I got carried away." She says smiling and tucking her hair back.  
Edd lets out a little laugh. "Well, you wouldn't be Marie Kanker if you didn't get carried away."  
Marie leans a little closer to Edd. "And you wouldn't be Eddward Vincent if you didn't have a magical way of wowing me."  
"Wowing?" Edd asks.  
"Yep." Marie says before giving in and giving Edd a kiss. This kiss has more force that the one she gave him the night before, but is still as delicate. And to Marie's delight, Edd returns the kiss as best as he could.

When it got to the point that Marie needed to breathe, she breaks the kiss. "Mmm, you're a good kisser Double D. I had a feeling that you would be."  
Edd's mind is not running at optimal efficiency, so he doesn't speak as fluid as he normally does. "As you too." Ed shakes his head, trying to get his brain back in order.  
"Heh, I can break your brain with just a kiss." Marie pokes Edd in the nose. "I'll have to remember that I can do that to my boy-" Marie stops herself, she isn't sure if Edd wants to be in a relationship with her. "Um Double D." Marie moves from pining Edd to the floor to sitting next to him. "So what are we now?"  
Edd sits up as well. "What do you mean?"  
"Well, are we like, girlfriend and boyfriend dating now?"  
Edd smiles at Marie. "Well, I'd like to be, if you want to."  
Marie almost jumps at Edd again, but contains herself and only gives him a hug followed by a quick kiss.  
"I take it you're happy?" Edd asks once the kiss ended.  
"Marie happy." Marie says smiling.  
The bell rings throughout the school, signaling the start of the homeroom hour. Edd and Marie both jump at the sound of the bell, they had forgotten where they were momentarily. Edd stands up and offers Marie a hand to help her up. Marie happily takes Edd's hand and pulls herself up.  
She rewards Edd's kind gesture with a quick kiss. "Walk me to class?" She asks, not letting go of Edd's hand.  
Edd smiles as his fingers lace with Marie's. His life has gone through major shake-up after major shake-up in less than a month. And even though he has spent years planning out his life after graduation to have it thrown out the window, he is even more excited about what his future has in store for him now. He still wants to attend MIT, and is going to apply again next spring, but he has almost a whole year to prepare, and spend time with his new girlfriend.  
"I would be delighted to walk you to your homeroom Marie." Edd says as he starts to lead Marie towards the double doors of the library.

The sight of Edd and Marie walking down the hall together isn't as shocking as it was at first, but with them both smiling and holding hands, the shock was back to maximum when people saw them. The other students look on in shock, but Edd and Marie don't care, they are happy and both excited for the future.  
As the two teens turn a corner, they walk into a hallway full of freshmen students. And there is another boy that thinks himself clever. "Bully and a Brain, sitting in a tree, G." The boy sings at Marie and Edd.  
Marie doesn't throw the boy into an open locker like the last one. Instead she stops Edd in the middle of the hallway and gives him a deep kiss. And while the other students are dumbfounded, she then throws the boy into an open locker and slams the door shut.  
Edd watches Marie punish the younger boy for mocking them, but didn't want to stop her, he actually chuckles as the locker door closes.  
Marie turns back to Edd and grins. "Not going to tell me ta not lock the kid in the locker?"  
Edd looks off to the side thinking as the two of them start walking again. "Well that would be me dictating how you should act, and it would be inappropriate of me to tell you how to behave. I will say that it could lead to ramifications against you if the boy goes to the authorities."  
Marie gives Edd a kiss on his cheek. "Thanks, but the school district just wants me and my sisters to graduate so they can purge the school of our existence."  
"Oh my." Edd says as the two teens stop in front of Marie's homeroom. "I was unaware that your sisters and you have that level of reputation."  
"Hehe yep. Kankers are headache fuel for the teachers." Marie pulls Edd into a quick hug. "See ya later Double D."  
Edd lets the new emotions and feelings inside of him grow as he holds Marie in his arms, it is warm, fuzzy, and comforting. He knows that once his friends find out about his relationship with Marie that there is going to be drama and a lot of questions, but the feeling inside of him at this moment is well worth it.  
"Have a good day Marie." They pull apart from the hug. "I'll see you at lunch?" He asks.  
Marie gives him a quick kiss, she enjoys these shared kisses much more than the ones she used to force on him. "Of corse." 

* * *

As Edd expected, every one of his friends was in shock when they discovered Edd is dating Marie. Nazz spent a whole minute squealing and saying she knew that Edd and Marie would end up together, even though she had no evidence to back her statement. Kevin called him a "sly dog" and smacked him on the back. Rolf said something about Edd honoring his ancestors. Ed didn't seem to understand and it took Edd five different phrasings of the statement that he is dating Marie for Ed to understand. And when the fact finally clicked inside of Ed's head he fell over onto the ground in shock and it took several hours for him to get back to normal.  
And then there was Eddy. Eddy was the most aggressive against Edd dating Marie. Eddy was red face yelling at Edd when he found out, the Ed's and Kankers were not meant to intermingle. But when Eddy finally ran out of breath and had to stop yelling, Edd pointed out one very important detail.  
"Well Eddy, when I told you about being denied entry into MIT, you told me to get over it and to call you when I "stopped being such a baby". But when Marie found out, she wanted to talk to me about it, but only when I was ready too. She wanted to help me where you didn't. And because she cared and was kind to me, I grew into feelings for her. I like Marie Eddy, and you cannot change that."  
It took Eddy a while to come to terms with Edd's relationship with Marie, but by graduation he was ok with it.

Where Edd had to deal with all his friends, Marie had to only deal with just her two sisters, but that isn't saying she had it easier. Marie always believed that her older sister had spies all over the school, so when Marie was dragged into the sister's bathroom by Lee, she knew what was going to happen.  
"Ya know," Marie says once Lee finally lets her go. "Ya could have just told me ya wanted to talk." She stands up from the floor and starts to readjust her bar, Lee had graded the back of it to drag her into the bathroom.  
Lee looks down at Marie as she leans against one of the sinks in the restroom. "Ya well, seeing as ya haven't been listening ta me, I didn't see any other option."  
Marie stands up from the floor, having fixed her clothing. "Not listening ta ya? When have I ever not followed your orders?"  
Lee points at the door. "So all that lovey dovey shit you and Double D have been doing isn't what it looks like?" The anger in Lee's voice was very obvious to Marie.  
Marie knew this conversation was eventually going to happen, she's just been trying to avoid it because she didn't want to argue with her sisters over her relationship with Edd. "So what if it is?"  
 ***Crack*  
** Lee punches the wall next to the sink, causing Marie to jump and cracking the ceramic tile. "God damn it Marie! You know that men are no good, that you can't trust them."  
The sisters grew up on the tails of their fathers and the pain they caused the sisters mother. So at a young age, the sisters agreed to never become involved with any guy, aggressively flirt and torment them sure, but never get involved with one like Marie has.  
"I remember all of Mom's stories, but do ya think Double D is like all the rest of them?"Marie crosses her arms and prepares to take a punch from her sister.  
Lee waves her hand at her side, punching the wall hurt more than she thought it would. "A man is still a man."  
"Not my Double D," Marie exclaims. "All the shit our dads did ta Mom, he could never even think of."  
"But Marie." A voice says from one of the stalls. "How could you know that?" May asks stepping out of the stall.  
"Dammit May, I told ya ta not be in here. This is grown-up talk." Lee yells at her youngest sister.  
"You're not that much older than me." May fires back.  
"That's not the point, you're too easily manipulated." Lee pinches the brim of her nose, this is not going as easy as she hoped.  
"I am not!" May yells back.  
"Shut it May," Lee yells, causing May to snap her mouth closed, proving Lee's point. "The point is that Marie here broke our pack, and didn't have the balls to tell us."  
Marie leans against the wall next to the door. "I didn't tell ya because I didn't want ta deal with this bull shit." Marie jesters at Lee and May with her hands.  
"And yet, here we are." Lee glares at Marie through her curly red bangs. "Running around like a chump with a man."  
"Ok, stop stop stop." Marie stands from the wall waving her hands at her sisters. "Think about Double D for just one minute. When has he ever done anything bad ta us? He's always been nice to us for the most part. We've done some really fucked up shit ta the Ed's over the years, yet he would never strike back. Hell, I bet he would've even helped us if we asked him."  
"Your point, Marie." Lee's glare gets stronger.  
"My point is, Double D will never be like our dads, he'll never leave me pregnant and alone like what my dad did ta Mom."  
"I thought you couldn't have kids Marie." May chimes in from her seat on the floor.  
"That's not what I meant, I was just using my dad as an example." Marie face palms. "Look, when I went ta get Double D ta talk to me, I wasn't planning on getting him ta fall for me."  
"Then what was your plan?" Lee asks, standing up from the sink she was leaning on.  
"He didn't get into the college he wanted ta go to, and didn't apply anywhere else. So he felt crushed and depressed, just like I was when I found out my baby maker doesn't work. I knew he needed someone ta talk to, someone that understood what a life changing pain is like."  
"What does your broken bits have anything ta do with this? You said ya didn't care about that." Lee asks.  
"But I did care." Marie takes a deep breath, she's never talked with her sister about what she is about to say before. "I wanted ta have kids someday before I found out about being sterile, I just never told you two because I knew how you'd react. Ma took me to a shrink ta talk about this in private, because I didn't want you ta know. I didn't want you ta know I was going to break our pack." Marie looks away from her sisters out of guilt. She is sure their bond as sisters is about to be damaged.  
The tension in the restroom grew so thick you could cut it with a knife. "You wanted ta be a mom? Even after all our mom has been through?" May asks breaking the silence.  
"Yep, but there was only one boy's babies I wanted." Marie responds back.  
"Jesus, you really are a sap. Where is the Mare that throws kids in lockers and knows how ta turn a wrench?" Lee asks pacing.  
"I'm still me, and I tossed a kid in a locker just yesterday for leaning on mine. I just have a boyfriend now, one that gets me better than any guy could." Marie couldn't help but smile at her own mischief.  
Lee paces back and forth in silent thought. "Alright." She says stopping. "I'll let this pass, but don't come crying ta me if he dumps your ass for some loose bimbo. And if he raises a hand at ya, I'll kill him without a thought." Lee knows that she could never persuade Marie to end her relationship with Edd, and she also knows Marie was right. Edd is nothing like the sister's fathers. Edd will treat Marie right, hell like a queen Lee bets. But she wouldn't be the older sister or the leader of The Kanker Sisters if she didn't say things like this.  
Marie couldn't help but smile, she didn't think Lee would come around this quick. "Thanks Sis."  
"Whatever." Lee crosses her arms.  
"Does that mean I can get a boyfriend now?" May starts to stand up from the floor.  
"Oh hell no." Lee says.  
"Yeah, you're two years too young for that." Marie adds.  
"Two years!?" May's eyes grow wide. "I'll be…" May starts counting on her fingers. "Twenty when I can have a boyfriend?" She asks, showing her bad math skills.  
Both Marie and Lee start to laugh. "Tell ya what May," Marie says in between laughs as she wraps her arm around May's shoulders. "Seeing as you're my favorite little sister, I'll cut that time in half."  
"But I'm your only little sister." May says as she starts counting again.  
"Which is why you're my favorite." Marie pulls May's head down and gives her a noogie. 

* * *

Even with her approval, Marie made sure to be well behaved around Lee when she was with Edd. Light hand holding, hugs with space between the two teens, and only light pecks on the cheeks for kisses.  
But even with needing to be careful, time just flew by for Marie. The weeks turned into months and before Marie or Edd knew it, they were standing in the fenced off yard of Nazz's house at her graduation party.  
It is a cloudless night, revealing the stars in the sky, and the yard is full of other graduates. Edd still finds himself wanting some distance from his friends, so Marie and Edd are leaning against the fence on their arms as they look up at the stars.  
Marie takes a deep breath and lets it out as she falls to the side, letting her head fall onto Edd's shoulder. Edd wraps his arm around her and smiles. He still can't believe sometimes that he is in a relationship with Marie, but moments like this remind him that it is real and that it was his choice to make it real.  
"Congrats on your perfect 4.0 GPA Double D." Marie says as she closes her eyes.  
Edd places a gentle kiss on her head. "Thank you Marie, and congratulation on making here with me. I am sure your mother is very proud of you and your sisters."  
Marie keeps her eyes closed, she is enjoying the moment too much to open them. "That she is, first Kankers in three generations to finish high school. I'm sure my grandma would be too."  
Edd pulls Marie closer to him."Well if it is any consolation, I am also proud of you."  
"Thanks, I'm proud of ya too."

The two return to enjoying the night's sky in silence for a little while, until they are approached by a blond girl in a black dress.  
"Yo Double D and Marie, why you all alone over here?" The girl asks.  
Edd and Marie both turn to face the girl. "Hello Nazz." Edd greets their host. "We are just enjoying the stars together."  
Nazz has been the only teen in the social circle Edd is a part of that wanted to talk to Marie, years of Marie being a bully was not easily looked past by the others. Nazz did what she could to try and get the others to forgive Marie, but they are not budging. Which is why Nazz came over to Edd and Marie alone.  
"Cool cool, well I just came over to make sure you're enjoying the party." Nazz says with a smile.  
Truth be told, the party wasn't all that enjoyable for Edd and Marie. Having spent a considerable amount of time by themselves Edd and Marie have grown into somewhat loners, preferring just each other's company over large groups of people.  
Marie adjusts Edd's dress jacket she has draped over her shoulders, the dark blue dress she wore for graduation has no sleeves so when she started to get cold Edd gave her his jacket. "Its fun, thanks for the invite."  
"Yes, thank you." Edd adds.  
Nazz smiles and gives them a thumbs up. "Sweet, well the cake is about-"  
"Hey Nazz!" Nazz is interrupted by a boy with a red baseball hat on backwards yelling from the back door of the house. "Your mom wants your help with the cake."  
"Be right there Kevin" Nazz yells back at the boy. "Well, like I was saying, cake is coming out." Nazz points at Kevin. "Come and get some before it's all gone." Nazz turns and walks away from Edd and Nazz to help Kevin with the cake.  
Marie watches Nazz walk away, cake sounds good, but not the socializing that would come with it. "Hey Double D, are your parents home?" She asks looking over at her boyfriend.  
Edd shakes his head. "No. After the graduation ceremony they had to leave for that trip to Lemon Brook."  
Marie grins wide, a grin that Edd is starting to understand means she has a plan. "Cool, so what do you say we get out of here and have some real fun?" She asks as the other party goers gather around a table in the yard.  
"Real fun?" Edd asks, curious as to what she could mean by real fun.  
"Yep." Marie sings to him.  
His time with Marie has made Edd more adventurous, and thus the idea of venturing off somewhere with Marie excited him. "Ok Marie." He says offering her a hand. "Let us get out of here."

"You ready Double D?" Marie asks as she kneels next to Edd, who is lying on his back.  
"As ready as I could be I guess," Edd says looking up at Marie. "This was just not what I was expecting you to want to do."  
Marie leans down closer to Edd. "Ya should have learned by now to expect the unexpected from me." She closes the distance and gives Edd a kiss.  
After kissing Edd, Marie moves to lie next to him to and reaches across him to a black box. She isn't looking where she is reaching so it takes Marie a moment to find what she is looking for. And when she does, Marie smiles and pushes a button on the black box. Right as her finger pushes the button down, music starts to come out of the box. The box was actually Marie's boom box, and it is playing one of her personal mix tapes.  
What Marie wanted to do when she suggested they leave the party was to climb out onto the little outcropping of roof outside of Edd's window and listen to her music as they lay down cuddling.  
"Have I heard this one before?" Edd asks focusing on the music as Marie squirms around to get comfortable.  
Marie is slowly teaching Edd about her kind of music, and would play one of her tapes for him when they were alone. "I dunno, this is a new tape I just finished, so maybe." Marie closes her eyes as she rests her head on Edd's chest.  
Edd wraps his arm around Marie. "Does this one have a theme? Or is it just a mix of your favorite songs?" He asks recognizing the song finally. He can't put a name to the song, or even the person singing, but he knows that he's heard it before.  
"It's themed." Marie smiles. "It's all song that reminds me of a boy."  
"Anyone I know?" Edd knows what Marie meant, they are songs that reminds her of him. And he feels a little sense of honor that Marie would take the time to make a tape of songs that make her think about him.  
"Yeah" Marie sighs. "He's this really cute guy that's super kind, smart, caring, thoughtful, compassionate, and means the world to me."  
Edd leads his head down and kisses the top of Marie's head. "Thank you, Marie. You mean the world to me too."

The two teens lay on the roof listening to the tape play, enjoying the music and each other's company, knowing that there is sure to be moments like this often during the summer. But they don't plan on loafing about during the summer. Edd is set to start working at a local electronics repair shop the following week and Marie is hoping to get a call back on one of the many places she applied for a job at. The two teens have goals for the summer, and are going to work hard towards them. Edd is going to save up money for when he's at school the following year, and Marie is hoping to get a vehicle of any kind of her own. 

* * *

Once Edd and Marie both started working, Marie got a job at a car parts store that is just a block away from the electronics shop Edd works at, the summer just flew by for the young lovers. They would spend their evenings and weekends together, watching television, going out to eat, listening to music, and going star gazing was some of their favorite things to do. They would also go to the skating rink quite frequently, and have even caught a few games of Marie's mother's old roller derby team when they had a match at the rink, something Edd surprisingly found entertaining.  
"This is your fault you know Marie." Edd says as they walk away from a merchandise stand with T-shirts with the team's logo on them after a match was over.  
"You mean I got you to like a violent sport?" Marie asks as she pulls her shirt on over her tank top.  
Edd folds his shirt and tucks it up under his arm, he wishes to wash the shirt before wearing it. "Yes, and the strangest part is that I have no idea what it is about the sport that I enjoy."  
Marie takes Edd's hand with her own and laces their fingers together."Hehe, my brainy boyfriend is turning into a sports nut."  
"Hum." Edd thinks as they exit the building. "I think I'm going to have to take you to the downtown library then, find you some engineering books to read."  
"You wouldn't?" Marie asks with face horror in her voice.  
"It is only fair, I get into something you like, so you should get into something I like."  
Edd did take Marie to the library, but he didn't force her to check books out on engineering, instead she found a book on classic engine repair to help grow her knowledge on her dream job. 

* * *

As winter drew Edd and Marie were finding themselves spending more time snuggled up on a couch, either the one in the Kanker family's trailer or the one in the living room of Edd's family's house, with warm drinks and thick blankets.  
One night, as the two teens are on the couch in Edd's house as they watch a movie that was playing on television. A question hits Edd, one that he's never thought to ask before, but is now really curious about.  
"Um Marie, do you mind if I ask a rather strange question?" Edd asks as Marie rolls onto her side. Edd is lying with his head resting on the armrest of the couch and Marie is lying on top of him using his chest as a pillow.  
"Shoot." Marie says as she gets comfortable. No question was too strange for Marie.  
Edd chooses his words carefully, not wanting to accidentally upset Marie. "So I am wondering what you would have done to not only change my option of you, but to also to get me to become interested in you."  
Marie smiles. "You wanna know how I was going to seduce ya? Ya sure ya wanna go down that rabbit hole?" Marie starts getting giddy about talking to Edd about her greatest plan she's ever come up with.  
"If you'd prefer not to tell me I will understand. I merely wish to know as much about you as I can."  
Marie sits up from laying on Edd, moving to kneeling next to him. "Well ta be honest, I didn't have much of a plan, I figured I'd start being nicer to you after spring break, more flirty than bullying. Getting ya to start thinking about me in different ways, maybe even slip ya a kiss with some tongue. I figured that eventually you'd be unable to resist me and would come ta me wanting ta be with me."  
Marie may think this to be a great plan, but it wasn't a very well thought out plan. This plan could have, and probably would have, only led to Edd being more afraid of Marie than wanting to be in a relationship with her. But lucky for Marie, she never had to follow through with the plan.  
"That is an interesting plan Marie." Edd scratches his chin thinking over Marie's plan. "I honestly could not say how well it could have worked."  
Marie Leans closer to Edd. "I'm kinda glad I didn't have ta seduce ya, this had been far more fun." She crosses the rest of the distance between Edd and her, leaving only a few inches between them. "Natural love is so much better."  
Edd smiles, Marie is such a fun person for him to be around, never a dull moment when she was around. "I love you Marie."  
It was not the first time Edd has uttered these words, but they still turn Marie's cheeks red at the sound of them. "I love ya too Double D." Marie says before connecting her lips to Edd's.  
The two teens continue to kiss, ignoring the movie they were watching until they are interrupted by someone coughing.  
"Eddward." Edd's mother says from the entryway into the living room, causing both Edd and Marie to jump. "If you two are done watching the movie, could you turn off the television please."  
Both Edd and Marie feel embarrassment from being caught by Edd's mother. Edd promised his parent that Marie and him would avoid any forms of affection between the two of them past short kisses, and he has just been caught breaking that promise.  
"Sorry Mother." Edd says as Marie sits down on the couch next to him.  
"It is ok Eddward." Edd's mother looks at the watch on her wrist. "But it is getting late and I believe it is getting to be about that time for Marie to head home."  
Not wanting to argue, Edd stands up from the couch and turns to Marie. "Would you care for me to walk you home Marie?" He asks offering her a hand to help her up.  
Marie takes his hand and pulls herself up "I'd love for ya to."  
Edd picks up the remote from the end table next to the couch and turns the television off before Marie and him walk past his mother. "I will be home quickly Mother."  
Edd's mother smiles as she watches her son and his girlfriend walk out the front door, hand in hand together. 'That young lady may be a bit too reckless and inappropriate for my liking. But she help get my boy to smile again, so she is fine as far as I am concerned.' 

* * *

The snow was finally starting to melt, winter had lasted longer this year than the one before, ushering in the start of spring. Edd is standing in front of the post office with his application to MIT in hand, but cannot bring himself to enter. He is afraid of being rejected again, afraid that he really isn't meant to go to his dream school. So much work has gone into the contents of the manila envelope, twice the work he did the first time around.  
Edd looks at the envelope. "We can do this Eddward, we've sent in several of these to alternate school all week, this one should be no different." Edd took the precautions to avoid the same mistake he did the year before, he has applied at other schools that he is sure to accept him if the application in his hands fails again.  
 ***Honk honk*  
** "Yo Double D." A familiar voice says from behind Edd. "Sorry I couldn't give ya a ride, Mom wanted me ta hit da store for her."  
Just at the sound of her voice, Edd smiles. "It is quite alright Marie." Edd turns around, Marie is yelling at Edd from the driver's side of a beaten up old car.  
Marie saved her money over the summer like she planned, spending only what she needed, with a few splurges on some fun things here and there. But by the start of the new year, Marie was able to buy herself her own car. It is rusted, has bad gas mileage, and the radio only works when it wants to, but it's Marie's car nonetheless.  
Marie puts her car into park and then kills the engine, she was going to ask Edd if he was ready to leave, but she sees the manila envelope in his hands and puts everything together. "Feeling nervous?" She asks leaning on the open window frame of the door.  
Edd nods. "A little."  
Marie opens her door and steps out. "Hey." She says as she walks over to Edd. "I have faith in that application Double D, just as I have faith in you." Marie clasps her hands over Edd's. "I know you're nervous about your second try, but you are smarter now than ya were before. This is sure to be your golden ticket."  
"But what if I don't get in again? What if I am destined not to go?" Edd asks, voicing his concerns.  
Marie pulls Edd close. "Then it wasn't meant to be. Life is never doing what we expect it ta do, we can only try ta point it in the right direction and roll with the punches it throws." Marie gives Edd a quick kiss. "I love you Double D, and if I believe in ya, then you can believe in yourself as well."  
The months spent with Edd has improved Marie's vocabulary, making her words of encouragement more effective. "I love you too Marie." Edd starts to feel his worries dissipate. "I honestly do not think I could have made it to this point without you."  
Marie tickles Edd's chin. "Happy to have been assistance. Now how bout you drop that into the mail and we go get some ice cream?"  
"Ice cream sounds good." 

* * *

Marie worked hard to keep Edd distracted as he waited for a response from MIT, flirting with him more, more revealing clothing, and turning any topic into a conversation. But she couldn't spend all her time with him, Marie has to work and has been putting some time into working on her car, and it was one day when Marie was at work that Edd got the response letter.  
Being the newest employee at the parts store Marie is always assigned to the register, keeping her away from the shelves of parts that she would love to look trough.  
Marie is leaning on her elbows as she stares off into space, it has been a slow day. She lets out a sigh and starts drumming her fingers on the counter. 'I wonder if Double D would be up for cruising tonight?'  
 ***Ding ding*  
** The bell over the door rings snapping Marie out of her daydream. "Hello, welcome to- oh! Hey Double D!" Marie smiles wide at the sight of her boyfriend walking into the shop.  
"Hello Marie, are you busy?" Edd asks, looking around the store for any customers.  
Marie almost jumps over the counter. "Na, been dead all day. What brings ya down here?"  
The two teen hug and share a quick kiss, and then Edd pulls an envelope from his back pocket. "I got this in the mail today, but I could not bring myself to open it." Edd holds the envelope out to Marie.  
Marie looks at the envelope, it has MIT's logo on it, it's the response letter to Edd's application. "I can't open it for ya Double D, ya have ta do it yourself."  
"But what if it's another rejection?" Edd asks with a hint of fear in his voice.  
Marie pushes the letter back to Edd. "Then we roll with it. I'm here for ya and I'll always be there for ya."  
Edd looks up from the letter to Marie, his former bully has turned into not only his biggest supporter, but also his source of inspiration. Edd takes a deep breath, and then opens the letter. The two teens stand in silence as Edd reads over the letter.  
Marie watches Edd's eyes fly across the paper, her own anticipation grows as she waits for him to finish.  
Edd lowers the letter. "Marie, I… I did it."  
Marie's eyes grow wide. "You mean?" She asks, barely able to control her excitement.  
Edd smiles and nods. "They accepted my application."  
Marie jumps at Edd hugging him. "Oh my god Edd! I'm so happy for you." This is the first time in their relationship that Marie has called him Edd.  
Edd hugs Marie back, he has never felt joy like this before. He knew that getting into his dream school would make him happy, but the feeling inside of him in ten times stronger than anything he's felt before, second only to how he felt the morning after spending the day downtown with Marie.  
Edd pulls Marie out of the hug so he could look at her as he talked. "This is so amazing Marie, thank you for helping me get here, I couldn't have done it without you."  
Marie grins at Edd, she loves hearing phrase like this from him, it reminds her of how much she means to Edd. That after their not so friendly past, Edd has grown to look past that so they could have a healthy relationship. "Well I'm happy to have been a help." Marie kisses the tip of Edd's nose. "Now we gotta celebrate."  
"Should I come back later when your shift is over?" Edd asks, lowering his hands to Marie's hips.  
Marie looks at the clock on the wall, she still has a few hours left till she could leave. "Well my Kanker ways tell me ta cut out early, but I like this job so." Marie pulls Edd into a deep kiss, lasting almost a full minute. "Hang onto that for me till five M'kay?" She asks once the kiss was ended.  
Edd blinks his eyes rapidly and shakes his head slightly, Marie has a way of turning his mind off with a well time kiss and it takes him a moment to get it back on. "Sure thing Marie, I'll see you this evening." Edd gives her a gentle kiss on the cheek. "Farewell my love, until our next meeting." He whispers to her before stepping away from Marie and turning to exit the store.  
Marie touches the spot on her cheek where Edd kissed her and starts to blush. Edd has mastered the art of turning tough girl Marie into a blushing fool with just a handful of words. "God damn," Marie says to herself as she falls against the counter, still touching her cheek. "I hope I never get used to this." She feels her heart beat faster. 

* * *

Seeing Edd and his parents off at the airport was really hard for Marie. Sure she is really happy that he is going to his dream school, but he is going to be so far away that she will only see him a few times a year.  
A voice echoes over an intercom system informing the group that Edd and his parent's plane was boarding. Marie lets out a sad sigh and starts to rub her wrist. "Well, that's your flight." She says holding back tears of sadness.  
Edd, who was sitting next to her, looks from the boarding gate near them to Marie. "That it is." He says, also sad.  
"I'm gonna miss ya a lot Double D." Marie continues to rub her wrists.  
Edd reaches over and places a hand on hers, stopping her from rubbing her wrists. "And I'll miss you greatly Marie." Edd squeezes her hand.  
Pulling strength from Edd's hand on hers, Marie stands up from the chair with Edd following her. "Promise you'll call my cell when you land?" Marie and her sisters pulled their money and got themselves a joint cellular phone plan.  
Edd turns Marie by her hand so the two of them are facing each other. "The moment the plane touches the ground."  
Marie wraps her arms around him and pulls him into a hug. "I love you Edd."  
Edd pulls Marie close with his own arms. "I love you too Marie." With one hand still holding Marie, Edd reaches into his back pocket and pulls out a square envelope. "This is for you, but do not open it until you are in your car."  
Marie finds the request very odd, but she takes the card and slips it into her pocket. "Ok, I will."  
"Eddward, it's time for us to board." Edd's mother says from a few feet away.  
"Ok Mother," Edd says letting go of Marie to pick up his carry-on bag. He then turns back to Marie. "I'll see you come Christmas break." Edd did not want to say the word "goodbye", to him goodbyes are forever, and Edd fully intends to see Marie again.  
Marie gives Edd a quick kiss, anything longer and she wouldn't be able to stop. "See ya later, space cowboy." She says with a grin, causing Edd to chuckle.

Marie watched Edd's plane take off, and only once the plane disappeared in the sky did she leave the airport. The walk out of the airport took less time than the walk in, not because Marie didn't have to go through security to leave, but because there is no dread of Edd leaving that slowed her step.  
Once in her car Marie pulls out the envelope Edd gave her. On the front it just has the words; "For Marie, my love." written in Edd's handwriting. Marie smiles at the writing before flipping the envelope over and opening it. Inside is a folded piece of paper. Marie takes the paper out and unfolds it. As she unfolds the paper, a silver ring falls out and lands in her lap. Marie gasps at the sight of the ring and then quickly reads the writing on the paper.  
 _"Dear Marie,_  
 _I did not want to give you this before I left or at the airport due to it making our departure harder on you. I am giving you this promise ring as a way of promising you that I will always be thinking of you while I am away at school. I will write you every week I am away and call you as often as I can. You are my inspiration, my moon in the night's sky, the song of my heart. I am already missing you, and I love you deeply._  
 _Sincerely yours, Eddward."  
_ Marie could feel the tears of joy forming as she picked up the ring and slipped it on. "Yeah." She says looking at the ring. "I am totally going to marry you someday Edd."

Hours later Marie's cell phone rang and she spent hours laying on her bed talking with Edd. She thanked him for the promise ring and said she was never going to take it off. He told her about the fight and how it was hard to stay focused on his book due to him constantly thinking about what was keeping the plane in the air.  
By the time they had to end the phone call, Edd needed to get to sleep, both of Marie's sisters were already in bed. The sisters have grown too big for the single queen sized bed and invested in a replacement. Lee, being the oldest, got a small twin size bed tucked into a corner. And Marie and May are sharing a bunk bed, Marie on top and May on the bottom.  
"It's bout damn time ya stop talking." Lee says from her bed in the corner.  
Marie reaches down from atop her bunk and grabs the thin white cord sitting on the nightstand. "Sorry, but can ya hate me for wanting ta talk to my man?" She asks plugging the cord into the bottom of her phone.  
May sticks her head out from the curtain she's put up around her bed. "A little if you're going to spend hours every night on the phone."  
"Can it May," Marie says, swinging her pillow down at her sister. "My man is half way across the country, so I'm gonna talk ta him as much as I want."  
"Why not just text him? We don't pay for each one of those." May says from behind her curtains.  
The idea never occurred to Marie, texting Edd is something she could easily do all day. Sure it would not be the same as hearing his voice, but knowing she could send off a message on the fly when she wanted to tell him something made her smile.

And Marie did just that, every morning Marie would send Edd a good morning text, though it was in the afternoon for him, and throughout the day they would hold short conversations about a wide range of things, Edd even sent her a short video showing her his dorm room.  
Edd also kept to his promise of writing her every week, telling her about the few things they didn't text about. Marie would read and reread each letter at least four times in a row before going to work penning her own letter back to him. 

* * *

The years Edd was away at school was a real test on their relationship, but Marie and Edd never gave up on their love for each other. Every holiday he could, Edd would fly back to Peach Creek and the two would spend as much time as they could together. It even got to the point that Edd's parents gave up on the rule of Marie not staying overnight, Edd and her would fall asleep together on the couch constantly. Summers were easier, with Edd being home for a few months straight, for them. They would find all kinds of thing to do to spend time together, they even rented a cabin up in the mountains for a weekend with Nazz, Kevin, and a coworker friend of Marie's and her boyfriend.  
Marie didn't intend to become friends with Nazz, but being the only other girl that wasn't her sisters that wanted to talk to her led to Nazz and Marie talking. It started with Nazz going into the parts store Marie works at looking for help with her car.  
Nazz wasn't sure what was wrong with her car, and didn't want to go to a mechanic and be told there are half a dozen things wrong with the car that would cost the value of the car, so she went to the only person she knew cars and could help. The problem wasn't too big, it just needed an oil change, but Marie couldn't take care of it at work and told Nazz to bring her car to the trailer park later that night. It was an odd start to their friendship, but Nazz turned out to be a good friend for Marie.  
"This is going to be so much fun." Nazz says as the six young adults sit down on the two couches and one arm chair inside of the cabin. The cabin is more if a two story house with log paneling instead of a small building with a few rooms. There is a full kitchen, three bedrooms, a bathroom on the first and second floor, a dining room, and a living room. That they are in at the moment.  
"I agree, this will be a fun weekend." Edd says as Marie snuggles up to him.

The six vacationers unpacked into their room and then sat down to a dinner of grilled hamburgers, cooked by Kevin.  
"So I brought something for us to enjoy." Marie's coworker says as she stands up from the table.  
"What did ya bring Vicky?" Marie asks setting her burger down.  
Vicky Walks over to the counter by the sink "So I know that all of you are not old enough, but." She pulls a tall glass bottle from a bag. "I figured just a small glass each of a low percent wouldn't hurt too much."  
Nazz, Kevin, and Marie all look at Edd, they know that his objections would be the final say. Edd looks at his friends, he knows why they are looking at him. He takes a quick moment to think, they are under age to legally drink alcohol, but being up in the mountains and if they only have one glass and avoid anything that would be made dangerous under the influence, made his decision easy.  
"Well, so long as it is just one glass, and no one tries to drive, I don't see why it would be a problem."

The wine ended up having a stronger effect on Marie than the others, so she was acting sillier than normal. Marie didn't need Edd to help her upstairs to the room they were sharing, but when she sat down on the bed she fell backwards and laughs.  
"Are you ok Marie?" Edd asks as he locks their door.  
Marie raises a hand with a thumbs up. "I'm groovy." she says before giggling.  
Edd sits down next to Marie. "I fear that you are drunk Marie." He says worried that his decision to let her have the wine was a mistake.  
Marie pushes herself up by her hands. "I am not drunk Edd, buzzed and tipsy yes, but nothing too crazy."  
Edd turns to her. "I only worry about you getting ill from the wine and missing out on our weekend away."  
Marie moves closer to Edd. "Don't worry Dream Boat, I wouldn't let anything stop us from enjoying each other this weekend." Marie hasn't used the name Dream Boat for Edd in a long time, a sign that she is not thinking one hundred percent clearly.  
"Enjoying each other? What pray tell do you mean by that?" Edd asks with a raised eyebrow.  
Marie grins. "Did ya lock our door?" She asks as her grin grows.  
Edd nods, and then his eyes grow wide. He finally put two and two together and figured out what she meant. "Marie." He says caressing her cheek. "I love you." He gives her a kiss.  
Marie feels an all too familiar warm and fuzzy feeling inside of her from the touch. "I love ya too Edd." She says once their kiss ends. "But mamma wants more than just some sugar." She pushes him down onto his back and climbs on top of him and immediately goes to kissing his neck.  
At first Edd closes his eyes, enjoying the feeling of Marie's attack, but then opens them. "Marie. Wait, stop." He says pushing her up.  
"What is wrong?" Marie worries that she has done something wrong.  
"Nothing." Edd reaches into his pants pocket. "I just want to turn my phone off." He holds the button on the side down and the screen goes black, showing that phone is powering down.  
Marie giggles as Edd tosses his phone to the side. "Sorry about that."  
"Don't worry bout it." She reaches over to the lamp on the nightstand that was illuminating the room. "Now where were we?" She asks turning the light off. 

* * *

Once Edd hit the final semester of school Marie started counting the days until her Edd would be back from school for good. As each day passed she got more and more impatient. It got to the point that on the days he would be flying home with his parents, they flew out to attend his graduation ceremony and help him move his things back, she called out of work and arrived at the airport three hours early. She couldn't even stand sitting and waiting for him, she stood right next to the exit unmoving as she waited.  
It was getting so unbearable that when she saw his black ski hat she almost jumped over the rope to see him. But that would have gotten her in trouble with the TSA agents and she couldn't risk that. So she waited, each second feeling like a minute as she watched the hat move through the crowd.  
"Well hey there pretty lady, you waiting for someone?" Edd asks once he saw her, unable to not make a small joke.  
Marie is shaking from anticipation. "Yeah." She smiles at Edd as a tear of joy forms. "Just the most important man in my life."  
Edd wipes away the tear and kisses her. "I've missed you Marie."  
Marie takes the hand he wiped the tear away with. "I missed ya like crazy." She starts leading Edd to the exit of the roped path, not letting go of his hand.  
Once passed the rope Marie jumps into Edd's arms, hugging him tight. "I'm so happy ta have ya back."  
Edd hugs her just as tight as she is hugging him. "I never want to have to be that far apart from you ever again Marie."  
Marie smiles, still hugging him. "I can live with that."

Edd's parents had parked their car at the airport when they left to get Edd, so they drove that home while Marie drove Edd home in her car, that she has gotten a lot of work done on. Two years ago she got a weekend job working at a small mechanics garage and would work on her own car when there was nothing to do.  
"Marie, could we make a detour on our way to my home?" Edd asks pointing at an upcoming intersection.  
Marie flips her blinker on. "Sure, where to?" She asks checking her mirrors.  
Edd points down the street they are on. "Just three blocks this way, and then a left followed by another block."  
"M'kay." Marie isn't sure where Edd is wanting to go, but any chance to have him all to herself a little longer before they reach the surprise party waiting for him was good to her.

Marie followed Edd's directions and the two were soon facing the parking lot of an all too familiar park. "Our Park?" Marie asks as she turns off the engine. The waterfall park in downtown Peach Creek is a special place for Edd and Marie. They would frequent the park sit under the trees together, or lay by the waterfall so much that they grew to calling it their park as if they owned it.  
"For only a brief moment, if you don't mind." Edd opens his door as he talked.  
Marie follows Edd and opens her door. "Sure, I'm always up for a visit ta Our Park."  
The two walk hand in hand through the park with Edd leading them. The two have grown so much since the first time they were in the park. Edd isn't angry at the world like he was, if he hadn't been denied the first time to go to MIT, he wouldn't have fallen for Marie and not made all those great memories with her over the past years. And without Edd in her life. Marie wouldn't have had the drive to impress him and worked on getting a job at the parts store, which led to the job at the mechanic's garage.  
Edd eventually led the two of them over to the patch of grass next to the waterfall where they laid all those years ago.  
Marie lets go of Edd's hand and sits down. "I still love this sound." She says closing her eyes and taking in the sound of falling water.  
Edd sits down next to her. "Yes, it is still rather calming, even after all these years." He doesn't close his eyes like Marie has, he brought her to this spot for a reason. "So Marie." He says admiring how beautiful Marie looks with the sun bouncing off her blue hair, that she still has long enough to hang around her shoulders. "Do you happen to remember my classmate Tom?"  
Marie opens her one uncovered eye and looks at Edd. "Is he the one that always wears green?" She asks, trying to remember the people Edd has told her about from his school.  
Edd shakes his head. "No that is John. Tom is the one who's father has a research lab in southern California."  
Marie snaps her fingers. "Oh yeah, I remember him now. He's the one that kept his head shaved."  
"Yes, well his father was at our graduation, and we started talking."  
Marie opens both of her eyes and turns to face Edd. "Oh yeah? Bout what?"  
"Well, he is looking to start a new project on green energy alternatives, and he likes my idea."  
"Ok…" Marie is a little confused, why Edd is telling her this she doesn't know.  
Edd looks away. "And he is hoping I would come work for him."  
The color fades from Marie's face, she doesn't think she could survive with him being gone again. "But…" She couldn't find any words.  
Edd takes a deep breath and lets it out before taking Marie's hand and pulling her to her feet. "I want to take this job, but there is something I have to ask you first Marie."  
Marie can't find any words to use, the English language has left her, all she can do is stand there and watch Edd hold her hands.  
"I can't even think of what my life would have been like if we had not napped here at this spot for a short amount of time all those years ago." Edd reaches into his pocket. "You are the most important person in my life." Edd pulls something out of his pocket. "I would like you to come with me to California, but not as a girlfriend." Edd drops down onto one knee and Marie gasps as he shows her the ring he had pulled from his pocket. "But as my-"  
Edd's proposal is cut short by Marie tackling him to the ground, hugging and kissing him. He didn't need to finish his question, Marie knew what he was asking the moment he went to one knee. "Yes yes yes, a million, billion times yes." She says taking the ring from his hand.  
The feeling inside of both Edd and Marie is something they have felt before, but never this strong. Their love for each other was something that neither expected would actually come to be like it is, but here they are, at the same spot Edd first felt something for his now fiancée, kissing and very happy.  
"I love you so damn much Edd, thank you for coming into my life." Marie says resting her head on his chest as she continues to hug him.  
"Thank you as well Marie. I love you so much too." Edd hugs her close to him.  
Marie lets out a long and deep happy sigh, her life isn't where she thought it would be when she was a little girl chasing after Edd with malicious intents, but far greater than she could have ever hoped for. "Our life together in Cally is going to be perfect Edd."  
"I believe you are correct Marie."

The end. 

* * *

AN: So… this one snowballed like crazy. I only was going to write a short little story, keeping with my one-off that I've been doing that I've enjoyed, but here we are thirty pages long. I got the idea for this from an acquaintance of mine that only applied to the big name university here in my state, and didn't think about the smaller schools or community colleges as an option. I wanted to try something different with Maire's character this time around, hence the lack of art and not being able to have kids. It's kinda dark, but I think it gave her a more human-like story, and a way for her to relate to Edd in a way others wouldn't. I hope this was enjoyable to read, it was fun to take a break from my original story idea I've been working on to hammer this out, even if It kept getting longer.

Until next time, keep being awesome. Linken88.


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